Graham_LRR:
If we hadn't already shot this week's, I totally would!

Ah ha! But you see good sir, this is why I did not say "Your next feed dump" I believe I speak for the entire escapist community of me, when I say that Iwe expect some cereal box reading at some point in the weeks to come!

Zachary Amaranth:

Azuaron:
It's like Checkpoint, but without any real news, unfunny jokes, and the camera zoomed in way to far.

Not to mention without "personality."

I'm pretty sure Graham and Kathleen could read the side of a cereal box and I'd find them more endearing and interesting.

Email them this now. I would totally watch that.

EDIT: And then I saw his reply. Awesome.

Why is this Barbie doll slaming its face against my screen?! It scares me!

My mind wondered at the 2 min mark...

I do hope the next episode is better.

OH! I couldn't find a Croc RIDING a skateboard... So how about JUMPING a croc on a skateboard!

Ah, another attemped to attract a fan base with a cute blond? It could work, it is, after all, a time proven methode. And the show wasn't... BAD per say, but I don't think it was really that GOOD either. It needs work. It at least was something to watch over my coffee for my first brake. So there's that i guess.

no.

I refuse to watch this.

why doesn't the escapist stick to the old stuff?
what happened to recent good shows like pro-gamer gauntlet and the show about games show?
why doesnt the escapist just stick with what it has?
if the escapist has a financial problem then why is it making new shows?
and if it's making this, what happened to the doraleous&associates movie? Yes, some of us are still waiting for that. gamedogs also just disappeared without warning.
seriously guys, stick to what you're doing and stop with all the new shit

No thanks, wont be watching it next week. The formula of cute girl + [half]witty dialogue + no content of any meaning at all

Wasn't this tried before a few months ago? the top 5 or something? That was dropped too.

Graham_LRR:

Draconalis:

Graham_LRR:
Aww!
:)

A Challenge!

Graham! Read the side of a box of serial during one of your feed dumps!

If we hadn't already shot this week's, I totally would!

Two things:

1. There is always next week.

2. What are you doing checking up on the competition? If so I don't think you have anything to be worried about, I'd watch CheckPoint reruns first.

I'll give this another chance or two, but it seems likely that I'll be voting with my non-clicks.

Part of the reason I'm so unimpressed is a few weeks ago I found very similar, but IMHO, better done, content on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/PressHeartToContinue *

* Please note: this is a genuine, unsolicited plug.

YAY BRITISH ACCENT ^^

Also can we get rid of the ridiculous voice over guy.

Hrm. I feel like I should be supportive and hope this will improve, but since it's just a direct port from their YouTube show and everything else I've seen on their network seems watered-down like this, I have pretty low hopes.

Yeah, gonna have to agree with some of the folks here: this was not exactly appealing to watch. However, it'd be boring to simply just say that and go on with my dreary day, so I'd like to share with y'all my critique of this particular episode, in the ever-so-deluded hope that my little opinions actually matter to an up and coming web series.

- - -

@1:00
- Because the best thing to do on your first day on a gaming website is to assume that your viewers are illiterate.

@1:22
- Hate to break it to you, but chances are: we already know. Remember: Saints Row: The Third (Colon) has been out for a while now, and people have already covered it extensively. Maybe look into something else? I hear there's this crazy long game about dragons and shouting and arrows to human joints that people keep talking about...

@1:48
- Considering the ESRB rating that precedes most of its trailers (with emphasis on PARTIAL Nudity), I'd probably say that comment about Google images was unnecessary, not to mention that (A.) you're assuming that your target audience are sex-crazed people, and (B.) that we don't know how to properly read a rating, once again treading back into "dealing with illiterates" territory. But I can't really say that our generation is... the most admirable, either. And besides, that rating system mostly applies to us Yanks, and I'm not sure how your European PEGI ratings work, so I won't be so critical about it.

Oh, and that one joke about jumpers and church: still doesn't paint you in the best light.

@2:10
- It took me this long to realize: that voiceover thing is OK, but since the camera still focuses on you, it becomes awkward to watch you just stare at us while that voice goes on. Perhaps if you were to cut to a title card with the writing of the segment on there, it would seem more natural. Also, the writing would help first time viewers to understand what the voiceover is saying. I understood this one, but I had to stop and think about the "Picture of the Week" one because I couldn't figure out what word he had said.

@2:29
- It took me a couple rewinds to realize that you were making a celebrity joke rather than a Sims joke, seeing as they play the same way. I'm sure the double entendre was intended (and slightly hoping that there actually WAS one), but give them some credit. Not every celebrity is like Kim Kardashian or Beyonce.

Another thing: you need to work on your delivery system. That last bit felt very wooden (probably due to the overly long buildup and punchline; short jokes cut deeper), and it gave the impression that all you have to do is shine your teeth and all will be fine. This is far from the truth. Not terribly far, as it works on some people, but most everyone else will just see it as a ploy to gain more viewers based on sex appeal.

And... well, the bear joke wasn't exactly good either. It's not nonsensical enough to push past the bizarre line and circle around to being funny again.

@3:15
- I like the personal touch of reading comments on the show, but if you're just going to make light of someone's insightful thought, then any connection you had with the audience from before is just going to go out the window again. I understand you strive to have humor with your news, but you need to work on the jokes first before you deal with your viewers. Otherwise, they're going to laugh at you, not with you; or worse, they'll shake their head and close the page. I actually almost did the latter when I saw the crocodile skit.

There's satire. There's snark. And then there's shameful. And this felt very shameful. There are people who can pull off the ridiculous and make people laugh. They can do this because they have confidence. They have that factor inside of them where they can commit 100% to their folly, and yet pull off the humor successfully. Frankly, I didn't see that factor. It was equal parts frustration and "THIS IS SO RANDOM!" It didn't blend well together.

@4:57
- I've pinpointed the issue with these jokes: they're all image-based. As in, you took a look at the characters in question, and then said various jokes like "Hey, he's got a blender for a head! That's funny!" That's why they feel so stale, because you're going at it superficially. Maybe less external-focused and more psychological?

@5:14
- You know why I suggested earlier about having a title card and then cutting back to the hostess? Because after the awkward staring, she says the same thing. "And this week, we have..." I think that if you encorporate the appropriate title cards, then you don't have to keep saying "And this week, we have...", and you can actually start right on the news. For example: "Finally, here's our [Title Card sequence w/voiceover]. As Modern Warfare has advertised, there's a soldier in all of us. But Battlefield 3 gives us the concept that, deep down underneath the armor, rocket launchers, and health packs, there's a can-can dancer as well." [Cut to Battlefield dance-off] Cuts right to the matter at hand, removing some needless repetition, therefore making you appear more official. Plus, it's short enough to make the viewer wonder "Wait, did I just hea..." before getting straight to the humorous video.

- - -

Overall, it's very difficult to watch in its current state. Never mind that the jokes are flat, but there's this eerie feeling of manipulation running through the vid, like it's going through the motions of other humorous news shows instead of actually doing something to differentiate itself from them (aside from the fact that it's more for Europeans than Americans). Even right down to the pretty girl hosting the news. Look, I get that sex sells, but let's face it: beauty is a dime a dozen. You can go down the corner and find any girl or guy that's good looking, and feature them endlessly on your show. But if they don't have that factor that I mentioned earlier, then all that sex appeal is going to amount to nothing. It's all going to appear manufactured. Fake. And as Jack White once said: "People know when something's fake. They can smell it."

This is really difficult for me to do, because I don't want to come across as a dick for simply accentuating the negative and not really giving any hope of improvement (partially because I believe it'll be ignored anyway). And really: anyone can criticize anything they want. That doesn't mean what they say is necessarily correct. These are simply observations and theories I've made based on watching this vid. I truly hope that it improves, and that more people discover y'all. But only if the entertainment is up to par.

Thank you, good night, and good luck.